Smile
by Chi Yagami
Summary: AU. Anzu is just trying to fit in, but everyone picks on her. Everyone, that is, until Ryou moves in next door. The friendship they develop is strong, even when they’re apart.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own YuGiOh.

Note: Anzu is 9 years old when this fic begins...

Summary: AU. Anzu is just trying to fit in, but everyone thinks she's weird. Everyone, that is, until Ryou moves in next door. The friendship they develop is strong, even when they're apart.

Ryou x Anzu

* * *

**Smile**

By: Chi Yagami

* * *

I guess it all started when Daddy died. I don't know what really happened, I was really little, like four or something. All I remember is this giant man knocking on our door. I was really scared, so I hid in the coat closet while Mommy answered the door. The man whispered some stuff to her, and she kind of nodded. Then she closed the door and called for me. "Anzu," she had sobbed when I crawled out from my spot, "I've got some bad news, honey." I had no clue as to what she was talking about, so I just stared at her; I wasn't sure what to expect. She pulled me into her arms and started to cry. She said, "Daddy isn't coming home, sweetie." I asked her why. "He… He's gone… His merchant ship sank, and he couldn't get off in time…" I knew what she really meant; she meant he was dead. I think I shrugged it off the first day, but later when other people in black showed up for the funeral, I cried too. That was five years ago…

Now I have a different Daddy. Not new, just different. He could never replace my real Daddy. This different Daddy has cold eyes and a stiff body; he hasn't hugged me yet. He ruffled my hair once, but I think it was just to make Mommy happy. I don't think he likes me, at all. He won't even let me call him Daddy; I can call him father or Mr. Kaiba like all of his worker-people do; they're called em-ploy-ees. I think they're an important people of some sort, because Mr. Kaiba gets a lot of them at our house. They don't seem to like him much. I am choosing to call him Mr. Kaiba, since I don't like him either.

Well, Mr. Kaiba has his own kid, named Mokuba. When I first met him last year, I made fun of his name. He started crying and Mr. Kaiba got real mad. I never did that again. Mokuba is okay, but I'm four years older than him. He's super whiny and such a baby; I have to watch him when our parents go out. I think I should be paid; Mai gets paid for watching Joey's little sister. She gets five dollars an hour! I have to watch Mokuba for like eight hours in a row! With all that money, I could buy a car! Mommy says were on a "budget" and that I couldn't buy a car with that much money anyway. I disagree with her.

Mommy is very pretty. She and I have the same sparkling blue eyes. Her skin is darker than mine, and she has black hair. I have short brown hair; Mommy's is long enough to be braided into a long plait everyday. I pretend it's a snake. My hair is too short to be braided. Mommy is tall and elegant, sometimes I think she glides across the floor like an angel, instead of walking like Mokuba and me. She used to let me go into the Powder Room with her, before Mr. Kaiba came, and we'd dress up and act goofy. No more powder days though.

Before Mr. Kaiba married Mommy, we lived above the museum. A museum is place where kids are not supposed to be. There's lots of breakable stuff and pictures in there. I saw a statue of naked guy once; if it's breakable, I hope it breaks soon. Mommy owns the museum. Sometimes she lets me come to work with her in the summer; Mokuba is never allowed to go to work with his daddy, so he comes with us. I feel bad for Mokuba; his dad is being really mean, trying to get him ready to take over the company or something. After Mr. Kaiba gets retired, Mokuba is supposed to run Kaiba Corp, Mr. Kaiba's job. Mokuba will get filthy rich. Right now, we live in a mansion that Mr. Kaiba built when he moved here. It's way bigger than the museum, but not nearly as fun. The maids and servants are boring, not like the tourists at the museum. At least I have my own room; the space above the museum was so small that Mommy and me shared a room. Our mansion is a lot cleaner, too. We have over four hundred rooms, one hundred bathrooms, and two indoor pools (one for grownups, one for us kids). There's also several gardens, a maze, and a tennis ball court outside. Plus, dozens times dozens of security people. There are cameras everywhere, including some on the inside: the main hall, and other rooms that lead outside. I've seen a gazillion cameras around every corner outside, and our house is even gated. Mokuba has his own limo take him to school and so do I. Mommy gets a ride to work from Mr. Kaiba. Mokuba tells me they kiss in the back seat. Yuck!

Summer is about to end, and school starts in a week. We already had a "Meet-the-Teacher-Night", and I got real bubbly inside when I saw the teacher. It was a guy! I didn't know teachers could be guys… but he was cute! He has long light blue hair and two different eye colors. He's a dreamboat man… (sigh) School will be the same. All the kids hate me. Yami and Miho even found a way to get at me over the summer. Brats.

Right now I'm sitting on the swing set while Mokuba plays in the sandbox. Sandboxes are for babies. Oh well; I guess I'll join him.

"Hey, Mokie," I greet him, climbing into the box. He likes being called Mokie. "Are you building sand castles?"

"Yeah," he chirps, trying to put sand into a bucket. He was taking the bucket and a little shovel, shoveling in tiny lumps of sand. "Do you wanna play with me?"

"Okay. We'll build the best sand castle ever!" I tell him, grabbing a shovel and pail. We spent most of the day building a large sand castle. It was pretty neat. Mokuba's towers were more like domes, while mine had windows. I'm very artistic, according to Mommy. I used to take dance lessons up until last year, when the studio closed. I still dance in my room.

After we finished with sand castles, Mokuba and me had some lunch; we ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and drank out of juice boxes. Then we went back outside.

"Hey Mokie?"

"Yeah?"

"Why doesn't your dad like me?" I ask. He looks at me and shrugged.

"My daddy doesn't like to talk. I'm sure he'll like you eventually!"

Maybe. But when?

"Mokie, I have an idea to impress Mommy and Mr. Kaiba, uhh your daddy!" I exclaim. He smiles; he always likes my ideas.

"I could build a model of Kaiba Corp for your daddy, and you could build a model of my mommy's museum for her!"

"Yeah! Wait… isn't models people on magazines?" he asks me. Oh jeez, Mokuba is confused.

"No, not those models! I mean like build another museum out of the sand. Make a tiny replica!"

"Oh."

"Exactly!"

"What's a replica?"

(UU;;)

* * *

By the end of the day, our replicas were finished! I hope Mr. Kaiba likes it; I feel like I'm always trying to please him and he never accepts. Mokuba's museum was actually nice, if you can picture it as a large mound. I wrote MUSEUM on it with a stick; he can't read or write yet. He starts kindergarten in a week. He poked holes in it and called them windows. Mokuba liked my model of Kaiba Corp. It has the base, then comes up really tall. The top was hard, because the building comes out in four places, and sand just falls apart. So I got to thinking and figured out how to make it stick. I got the sand wet and sort of turned it into mud; then I molded the top. I went up to my room and got my magnifying glass. I stood next to my building and held the glass above it. It was so hot outside that the mud hardened. Now Kaiba Corp can't fall apart! I also carved in a front door with a plaque that says KAIBA CORP and almost three thousand windows. Mokuba bet me fifty dollars that Mr. Kaiba would love it. I don't think he has fifty dollars, or even knows what a bet is.

When Mommy and Mr. Kaiba got home, we dragged them outside to see our masterpieces. Well, Mokuba grabbed Mr. Kaiba's hand and led him outside; Mommy and I just followed.

"See, Mommy? Anzu and I made a sand castle!" he says proudly, first showing our castle. Mommy smiles.

"That's wonderful, sweetheart. Don't you think so, Seto?"

Seto is Mr. Kaiba's first name. Only Mommy is allowed to call him that.

"Of course. Excellent job, Mokuba; I see you have architectural skills already…"

Oh jeez, he's talking about the business again. I noticed he only congratulated Mokuba.

"Lookie, lookie, Mommy! I made a retlica of your museum!" Mokuba shows her, pointing to his mound. She loved it. Mommy loves everything Mokuba and me make.

"It's beautiful, Mokuba," she cooes.

"Anzu wrote on it for me," he explains. Good old Mokuba, giving me credit. Mr. Kaiba says nothing. Maybe he is disappointed that I wrote it.

"Daddy," Mokuba says, walking over to my Kaiba Corp, "look what Anzu made for you."

Mommy gasps. Mr. Kaiba stares at it for a while, and then he stares at me. Mokuba is telling Mommy that I'd spent hours on it and about the mud thingy and all. Mr. Kaiba blinks.

"You built this?" I don't think he believes it's mine.

"Yes."

"Where did you learn the magnifying glass technique?" He doesn't believe me. What's a teckneeck? OH…

"I saw some guys doing it on the Discovery Channel," I explain quickly. I don't want him to think I'm slow or stupid. I bet he already does.

He raised his eyebrows. I hate it when people do that.

"_You_ watch the Discovery Channel?"

"Yes."

Mr. Kaiba glances back at the Kaiba Corp.

"There are two front doors, not one." He turns away and walks back inside. I look after him.

"So, did Daddy like your building?" Mommy asks, coming up to me with Mokuba. She doesn't know I call him Mr. Kaiba.

"Oh yes, he said it was awesome," I lie. Mommy would be crushed if she heard Mr. Kaiba hadn't said anything nice. I want Mommy to be happy; she deserves the best.

Mokuba gives me a look that read 'I know you lied.' But I know he won't tell me on me.

I stare at my Kaiba Corp for a long time. Then I pick up my shovel and throw it at it. It stabs the KAIBA CORP.

During dinner, Mommy and Mr. Kaiba discuss money matters. The dinning table is over twenty feet long. Mokuba and me sit away from them. Mommy likes us to be close to her, but she understands we don't like the business talk. Too bad for Mokuba, because when he hits double digits he has to start taking business classes and be home-schooled. All of his classes will focus on Kaiba Corp somehow. Mr. Kaiba would have nothing less.

* * *

Tomorrow is the first day of school. I am totally bored. Mokuba is asleep right now, and I'm sitting on the porch steps, watching a large moving truck unload furniture next door. I guess some people are moving in. That house could fit into out ballroom that Mr. Kaiba rarely uses. I'm not interested in the neighbors until they take out a bike with training wheels. Maybe they'll have kids a bit older than Mokuba or around his age. Mokuba has a friend named Serenity, the one Mai watches for five bucks an hour, but she lives in a different neighborhood. It would be cool to have neighbors with little kids like Mokuba and me. I creep off the porch and duck into the hedge that lines the fence between our yard and theirs. I peek through the loose board. The men unloading the truck are taking out weird things, like stuff from Mommy's museum. Maybe they robbed her! I'll have to 'investigate'.

"Over there," a tall man says, telling the guys where to set the furniture once they get inside. At least the worker-men don't have to walk up the stairs; they have a one-story home.

A computer, three beds, a larger older bike, several vases, some wacky paintings, a figurine-head of an Egyptian mummy, many boxes, two tables were unloaded before I was satisfied that they weren't robbing Mommy, and that they had kids: a seesaw was taken out and placed into the backyard. Grownups don't buy seesaws for no reason.

And another car just pulled up, a sports car I think. A tall person with long white hair got out of the driver's side. I bet it's an old guy! Yeah, that other man who probably owns the house has white hair too, but it's short. This new person I think is a boy. Yeah, he has a boy's face and looks really grumpy. He's way older than me, but he doesn't look grandpa material. Maybe he is just weird.

"Bakura," the other man says. "Son, where have you been?"

So that guy is that other guy's kid… hopefully not the kid with the seesaw!

"Ryou was hungry, so we stopped for a bite. And my car needed gas."

The one called Bakura held up his keys and then stuffed them in his pocket. I think he might be in high school. He's old enough to drive anyway. Who's this Ryou? Maybe a girl my age!

"Daddy!" I can see the passenger door trying to open. Well, the voice sounded like a girl. Oh! It's a mini-Bakura! Only kinder-looking and a lot smaller. I think it's a girl… she has long white hair, too. Maybe it snowed on them.

"Ryou!" her daddy says, scooping her up and kissing her.

"Bakura tried to sneak tomatoes on my burger, Daddy," Ryou pouts, crossing her arms. "He should be punished!"

"Bakura," their dad scolds, "you know Ryou's allergic to tomatoes!"

"And everything else," he mumbles as a reply, walking inside, his daddy following.

Now it's just Ryou outside. I crawl through the loose board and decide to introduce myself. I tap her on the shoulder. She jumps like three feet and spins around, falling down halfway; I laugh.

"Hi," I say. Ryou looks up at me, confused.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Anzu; I live next door," I tell her, pointing to my house. Her eyes get really big and I think they're going to pop out.

"_You _live _there_?"

"Yeah."

"Well, hi. I'm Ryou," she says shyly. Interesting girl: she's wearing shorts and a Tshirt, something like what Mokuba wears. I glance down at my floral jumper and sandals; she's got sneakers.

"Why are you dressed like a boy?" I ask. She turns really red and I can see tears coming on. "Well? Why you crying?"

"I'M NOT A GIRL!" she— I mean HE wails. Ryou runs into her— his house, crying. Uh-oh.

Oopsie-daisy. I think Ryou's a boy.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own YuGiOh.

Sorry guys, I thought I had already posted this chapter (heheh).

Summary: AU. Anzu is just trying to fit in, but everyone thinks she's weird. Everyone, that is, until Ryou moves in next door. The friendship they develop is strong, even when they're apart.

Ryou x Anzu

* * *

**Smile **

By: Chi Yagami

* * *

I smile and tell Paul thank you before getting out of the limo. Paul is my _shoffer_ driver. He is very nice and always gets me to school on time. School, something I never want to see again.

"Hey, weirdo, gimmie your cash!"

I look up to see Yami and Marik walking over to me. They have evil smiles on their faces, and I know they're gonna beat me up or something.

"I don't got any cash," I reply, frowning.

"Then give us whats you gots," Marik demands. He yanks my lunch out of my hands and runs away with Yami.

I don't have any friends. Everybody hates me because my mommy married Mr. Kaiba. They think I'm spoiled and rich, and they hate Mokuba too. But he's lucky; he goes to the kindergarten school, miles away from here. I take all the bullying. Sometimes I fight back, but Marik always beats me up. I let them have my lunch today, because Mrs. Mullins, the kitchen lady packed a tuna casserole sandwich. I hate tuna casserole.

Inside the classroom, I don't know where to sit. I wanna sit up front, so that Mr. Dartz will notice me, but Miho and Vivien are sitting there. I don't want to sit next to them for an entire year. I also don't wanna sit in front of Yami, because then he will throw spitballs at me. So I sit in the very back. I glance around the room and see many friends saying hi. I wish I had a friend. Marik's twin, Malik, said hi to me once, but then Marik punched him. He doesn't talk to me anymore.

Oh my! The girly boy from next door just walked in!

"Ryou!" I call, waving at him. "Ryou, over here!"

Yami and Miho stand up. Miho prances over to my desk and looks me in the eye.

"Is that your friend?"

I open my mouth but she slaps me. I stumble back and fall down; all the kids laugh at me. Yami is talking to Ryou, telling him that just because he is new, that doesn't mean he is cool.

"I mean, look at your hair," he is saying. "You look like a girl with white hair! Hahahaha!"

I stand up, march to him, and tap him on the shoulder. "You leave him alone!"

Yami shoves me into a desk.

"Get it through your head, Anzu," Miho tells me, "that everybody hates you! Even your Mommy and Daddy and brother! They all hate you!"

I can feel tears running down my cheeks. I run back to my desk and bury my head in my hands. I don't think I am crying because Miho said mean things. I am crying because what she said was kind of true.

* * *

At lunch, I sit on the front steps. My stomach is growling. I wish I had money to buy a hot lunch from the school, but I don't. I hear footsteps behind me, so I whip around, ready to beat the pants off Yami or Miho.

"Hi," Ryou says quietly. He sets his lunch kit down

"Hi," I say back. "What are you doing here?" He sits down next to me, sitting on his hands.

"I thought you looked lonely. Those guys shouldn't have said those things. It was mean."

"But they were right…"

"I don't think so," Ryou says, standing up. "I don't hate you."

I look up. This kid is just blinking at me. Is he serious?

"You don't?"

"Of course not."

"But I called you a girl!"

He shrugs. "A lot of people think I'm a girl. It's no big deal."

"Really?"

"Sure. Can I eat with you?"

I smile and nod. "Ryou?"

"Hmm?"

"Are we friends?"

"I guess, yeah… yeah we are."

I give him a large hug, and then I ask for a part of his peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

* * *

"Now, contrary to popular belief, math is not at all that bad…"

Well, not when you teach it, Mr. Dartz… He's so dreamy. I'm interested in anything he teaches. Miho and Vivien are drooling too. I want to marry him…

"Anzu," Ryou whispers, "why do you think Mr. Dartz is so great?"

"Because he's handsome. And he knows everything," I answer, sitting up as the Godman walks by.

"Oh," is Ryou's reply.

"Well then," Mr. Dartz sontinues, "for your first homework assignment, I would like you all to write a paragraph about what you did over the summer."

"Awe," all the boys groan. All us girls just coo.

"Class dismissed," Mr. Dartz says just as the bell rang.

"Ryou, would you like to play?" I ask, as we get our stuff from our cubbies. His is next to mine.

"Oh boy! I sure would!"

"Well then come on! We'll stop by your house on the way."

I skip down the steps and see my limo. Ryou's mouth drops and I giggle. We slide into the car and I know that he is amazed.

"Paul, to the house next to ours," I say properly. "We need to ask Ryou's parents if he can come over and play."

"Ryou?" Paul asks, turning around. I nod. "My friend." I know Paul is happy that I finally had a friend. I have never brought anyone home before.

"So, do you think your parents will let you?"

Ryou shrugs. "My dad will probably be fine with it."

"And your mom?"

"I… She… I don't have a mom…"

…Oh. I give him a monster hug. I know exactly how he feels; I don't have a dad.

"I'm sorry. I know what it's like. I lost my original daddy," I tell him sadly.

Ryou looks a little better, but we both feel a little sad. We finally get to Ryou's house. We hop out of the car and race up the porch.

Ryou's daddy is real nice! He treats me like his own kid, and he gives us cookies. Ryou's brother comes in later and annoys us.

"Hey babies, eating your cookies and milk? Hahaha," he teases.

"Shut up, Bakura."

"Bakura?" I ask. Isn't that their last name?

"My brother doesn't like his real name—"

"Yeah," Bakura interrupts, "and I'll beat your guts out if you tell her."

"—so he goes by just a last name."

"I wonder what people would say if _I_ went by my last name…"

"Wouldn't they say Mazaki?" Ryou asks. Nevermind…

We spent like thirty minutes at Ryou's house and then went back to the limo. We're finally at my house! Yay!

Ryou and I go through the front door. I take off my shoes and drop my backpack by the coat rack. I notice Ryou looking nervous. I smile and tell him not to worry. Before we go upstairs, we're going to get snacks, yum!

"Ryou, what to you want to eat? We have everything!" I say, opening the kitchen door. The chefs are busy preparing food for tonight's dinner. Mrs. Mullins tells me that she cant fix any snacks because the entire kitchen is busy cooking for Mr. Seto's company feast.

"I can fix my own snacks," I tell her.

"Anzu Mazaki, you will not, I repeat not, touch anything in this kitchen!"

I sigh; that lady just does not understand me. Ryou follows me into the pantry. I glance around and decide on Chocolate Puffs Cereal and Marshmallows. I take the box and we leave the kitchen. We go up the stairs. I wave to Mokuba when we pass his room. He is playing video games. Mr. Kaiba buys him all the video games he wants; but Mokuba is a good kid. He's not spoiled.

When me and Ryou reach my room at last, I tell him: "Everything in this room Mr. Kaiba bought for me. It don't reflect my true uhh innerness in some way." He is looking at me like Sparks the frog looked at me before he died. I didn't do it, the frog just ate too many flies. And then died.

"Gots it?" I ask him. I wanna make sure he understands that most of the stuff in my room is only here because Mr. Kaiba put it there to impress Mommy. If Mommy weren't around, I'm sure my room would be empty.

He nods. I don't think he knows but oh well. I'll take his worm for it. Which doesn't make much sense, since Ryou probably doesn't have a worm. But grownups use that phrase all the time.

We get inside my bedroom, and I close the door. Toys are everywhere, so I see that the maid hasn't been here yet. Ryou pokes the rocking horse and stares.

"I know, it's cheap."

"Why do you call your dad Mr. Kaiba?"

"Because he told me to. He doesn't like me very much."

"Oh. Does your mom know?"

"No."

"Oh."

He sure says that a lot.

"Maybe you should tell her…"

I grab him by the collar real hard and shake my other fist in his face.

"If you EVER tell my mommy about that, I'll beat your guts out!" He nods really fast. We sit on my bed and eat our snacks. I like having a friend.

* * *

yay. next chapter to be posted soon...


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own YuGiOh.

After a long time, I finally update this... so sorry to all of you loyal readers, if you're still out there!

* * *

**Smile**

By: Chi Yagami

* * *

I'm so super excited! My birthday is next week, August 18! I will be ten years old! Double digits! Mokuba doesn't understand why I'm so excited. I tell him that turning ten means I'm almost a 'preteen'. He says it means Kaiba Corp. for him. I forgot: when Mokuba turns ten, Mr. Kaiba will force him to be home-schooled and study Kaiba Corp. things. I am glad I am not home-schooled, and I'm very glad that Mr. Kaiba is not my teacher.

Mommy wants to know what kind of party I want. I tell her I don't know, because I don't. I could have a party, but only Ryou would come. All the kids hate my guts. Ever since first grade, everyone has been mean to me. Miho and I used to be best friends. But then I was picked to be the Sugar Plum Fairy in the winter play. Miho really wanted that part, because she loves to dance. I love to dance too, which is why we were friends. But she got mad that I was the Fairy and she was a tinier fairy with no lines. She was so mad that she told everyone I was stuck up and I was mean. They all believed her because we were friends and friends don't lie. But she did. And she said I was stuck-up like Mr. Kaiba. Everybody was kinda mad that my mommy married Mr. Kaiba. They think I'm going to be rich and get Mr. Kaiba's money; but I won't because Mr. Kaiba does not like me, but they don't know that. And then Miho made them even more mad at me. So now everybody hates me. Well, everybody but Ryou. I'm glad he moved next door.

My other birthdays were not special. Just me, Mommy, and Mokuba. Mr. Kaiba always had stuff to do. If he was free, he still would not celebrate my birthday.

Mokuba wants me to help him with his homework. He has to draw different fruits and vegetables and then color them. Oh no, he is coloring his apple yellow.

"Apples are red," I tell him.

"I know," he says. He just keeps coloring.

"Why are you coloring your apple yellow?"

"No, Anzu, I'm coloring a banana."

A banana? No, that is an apple. Maybe Mokuba does not know what different fruits look like. I will have to help him. I am such a good sister.

* * *

I am sitting in a _Kadelack_ right now. It is new and shiny, and bright red. Maybe not as new as Mr. Kaiba's cars, but it does not have bird doo-doo on it like the cars at the park. I think the seats are made of cows. I do not like that the car is made from cows, but the seats are very clean.

"Stop looking around! It isn't any different than the last time you checked!"

Bakura is very grouchy today. This is his second time driving me and Ryou to school. My shoffer Paul is sick with Nimonea, a disease like the flu. Ryou's brother has to drive us to school. Mr. Kaiba did not want to give me another limo driver. He does not give me anything really. I am lucky to have Paul. Mommy said I might have to take the bus! I told her no and that the kids are mean, but she didn't believe me. She said I used to take the bus, but that was before Miho hated me. Mommy doesn't know that everyone hates me. She thinks I am nice and that I have lots of friends because I am so nice. I wish she was right.

"Bakura, you don't have to be so mean," Ryou says. Bakura makes an angry noise and says something about "babysitting".

Ryou did not want me to take the bus because he knew that Marik and Yami would beat me up, so he told his daddy that I needed a ride. And then his daddy told Bakura that he had to drive us to school. And so Bakura is mad that he has to drive us to school. I don't know why. He does not have to come inside.

"You brats are making me late for Calculus."

"What is Kalkoolous?" I ask.

"Math, you dimwit."

"Bakura! I'll tell Daddy you are being mean to Anzu!" Ryou says, looking at his brother with an angry face.

"Whatever, we are here. Now scram."

Jeez, Bakura is so grumpy. I think he and Mr. Kaiba should meet.

* * *

Today has not been so bad. No one but Ryou has talked to me, but the other kids do laugh every time they see me. It's not so bad. At least they aren't being mean.

"What do you have for lunch, Ryou?" I ask, sitting at a table with him. He opens his box and looks inside.

"Peanut butter and jelly. Again."

"I have potato salad, wanna trade?" I ask. He nods very fast.

"Okay! I've never had a salad made of potatoes!" he says happily. He is in for a surprise…

"This doesn't look like salad… Anzu, what did you give me? This looks a year old."

I giggle. "Potato salad looks like that. It's made of potatoes, dressing, and eggs. I think it is…"

"Ahem…"

I look over my shoulder to see Malik watching me and Ryou trade lunches. Has he come over to laugh at me?

"Hi, Anzu," he waves shyly. "Ryou," he greets, smiling at Ryou.

"Malik, what do you want?" Ryou asks defensively, standing up.

"I… I want to know what you want for your birthday, Anzu," he says really fast. His cheeks are red and he is bowing his head. He wants to know what I want for my… How does he know my birthday is next week?

"How do you know about my birthday, Malik?" I ask suspiciously (that means I don't believe him). Malik looks confused.

"I got your letter," he says, pulling out a party invitation from his pocket. "You sent me a letter inviting me to your party next Friday after school. You invited everyone in our class."

Ryou glances at me. He is probably wondering what I am thinking myself: _I_ sent the whole class party invitations? No way! I don't want to spend my birthday with those meanies!

"No I didn't. I would never invite the class! You guys hate my guts!"

"I don't hate you," he says quietly, shuffling his feet.

"Aw, lookie here, Yami! Malik likes Anzu!" Marik laughs, walking over to us with Yami and Miho.

"I do not!" Malik shouts at his brother, blushing a lot.

Why did those three have to come over here? Oh no, if Malik says the whole class was invited to this party… then…

"Anzu, I'm _so_ excited about your party," Yami says with an evil smile. "I can't wait to see you cry."

"Leave her alone!" Ryou says, taking my hand. He starts to pull me away from the bullies.

"Look! They're holding hands!" Marik says loudly, pointing. "They've got cooties!"

I drop Ryou's hand and wipe my hand on my skirt. "No I don't!" I reply angrily.

"You touched him," Yami laughs meanly.

"It is a sin in the eyes of God," Miho says seriously. "You can't get into Heaven now because you have cooties!"

Ryou takes my hand again and drags me out of the cafeteria. Once we are in the hallway, I shake off his grip and stare him with a mad look. "Why did you take my hand? Now they are going to make fun of me for having cooties!"

"Cooties don't exist. And you gave me a hug the other day!"

"When no one was around! And they are going to make fun of you too," I say, crossing my arms. "Why did you bring me out here?"

"They were being mean to you! I don't understand how you can just stand there and let them insult you!" Ryou says, curling his fingers into fists. "And why would you invite them to your party?"

"I'm not having a party!" I tell him. "I don't know why they have party notes, but I didn't send them! I would never want them in my house!"

Ryou looks a bit calmer. "So how did they get them?"

"Maybe my mommy sent them…"

"Maybe they're just trying to scare you."

"Well, I'm not letting them in."

* * *

Mommy doesn't think it is a big deal. She thinks I'm going to have a wonderful party with all of the kids. She didn't know what party I wanted, so Mr. Kaiba decided to invite all the kids in my class. And Mommy liked the idea.

I hate Mr. Kaiba.

"Will it be that bad?" Mokuba asks me, looking up from his math homework.

"Yes. They all hate me, Mokie. I can't tell Mommy that I'm a loser… she will never love me again!" I sob.

Mokuba pats me on the back. "You're not a loser."

"Yes I am," I sob, hiccupping. "Everyone hates me, especially your daddy. He didn't even ask me if it was okay to invite those meanies."

"Sorry," Mokuba mumbles. "I wish my daddy was nicer to you…"

"It's not your fault," I tell him. "I'm just a loser… and Mr. Kaiba and the kids in my class hate losers."

"But I think Mommy would love you even if you are a loser."

I smile. "Thanks, Mokie."

I leave his room and return to mine. I stare out my window at Ryou's house. I washed my hands five times after I got home; I hope Ryou's cooties are gone. I think he's mad at me. He didn't talk to me in the car, and I was forced to listen to Bakura's Scream O music. Sounded more like a horror movie than music.

Oh no…! Ryou is starting to realize that I'm a loser! He's going to laugh at me with everyone else and become best friends with Miho! No…! And, what if… What if Mommy realizes I'm a loser, too? She'll never love me again and then she will want me to call her Mrs. Kaiba like Mr. Kaiba and then no one will love me! No, I've got to do something!

I don't want to be lonely… (sniff)

I'll talk to Ryou before the others can! I'll convince him that I'm not a stupid loser, just a loser. Maybe he'll stay friends… I go next door to his house and ring the doorbell, three times because no one answers. Finally, the door opens.

"Hi, loser," Bakura says with a mean face.

I burst into tears. …even Bakura knows I'm a loser!

"Wh-what?! Stop crying!" Bakura stutters. "Ssshh. I uhh didn't mean to make you cry…! Stop crying!"

I keep crying as Bakura drags me into the house and sets me on the couch. He leaves and returns with some Kleenex and water. I start to calm down and continue to snivel while I blow my nose and drink my water.

"What's wrong?" Bakura asks, frowning. "You don't normally cry when I insult you."

"You know I'm a loser…"

"What?"

Is his hearing bad? "_I'm a loser_."

He stares at me like Mommy does sometimes before she tries to explain something. He sighs and paces around the room. Where's Ryou? Why hasn't Bakura left me alone yet? People don't like to be around losers. It's contagious.

"Why do you say you're a loser?" he asks and stops pacing.

"I…" Do I want to tell this big kid my secrets? I don't really trust him. He's mean to Ryou and picks on me.

"Can you keep secrets?" I ask, worried he might go tell all his big-kid friends about me. Then everyone in the world will know what a loser I am.

"Duh."

I glare at him.

Bakura sits in front on me on the coffee table; is he allowed to do that? He puts his chin in his hands and his elbows on his knees and looks right into my face.

"I swear on my snowy white hair I will not tell anyone what you are about to tell me," he says seriously.

"Cross your heart and hope to die?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die," he replies, placing his hand on his heart.

He better not be lying… Lying is something Bakura would probably do.

"I'm a loser!" I repeat, the tears forming again. "Everybody hates me. Nobody likes me. My best friend Miho started a nasty rumor that I'm a snob like Mr. Kaiba because she was jealous that I got to be the main fairy in the play. And everybody believed her because we used to be best friends you don't lie about your best friend. I'm such a loser and soon Mommy will find out and hate me too," I continue to sob while Bakura just stares at me. "Mommy loves Mr. Kaiba, and Mr. Kaiba already hates me. What if he convinces Mommy of how stupid I am and then she doesn't love me and I have to call her Mrs. Kaiba? And Ryou, my best friend Ryou, he's starting to see what a loser I am and I have to talk to him and tell him I'm not a loser before he hates me too!!"

I started to cry again. Bakura hates me too! He's not saying anything and he is just staring at me with wide eyes. I bet he thinks I'm lying and I bet he thinks I'm a loser snob.

"You call your stepfather 'Mr. Kaiba?'" he asks suddenly.

I nod. "I'm not allowed to call him Daddy. He said so."

"What does your mother say?"

"She doesn't know…" I said slowly, and then begged, "Please don't tell! Don't tell Mommy! She will think I'm a loser because I'm not allowed to call Mr. Kaiba my daddy. I _am_ loser. I'm not good enough for Mr. Kaiba…"

"Ryou doesn't think you're a loser," Bakura says quietly, looking at his feet.

"Really?" I ask, cheering up a bit.

"He never shuts up about you."

My cheeks got hot for some reason, but I felt really pleased too. Ryou doesn't hate me!

"You won't tell anyone my secret? That I'm a loser?" I ask, looking up at Bakura. He says nothing for a while.

Then he replies, "I promise. Now cheer up, kiddo, and I'll go fetch Ryou."

I smile and wipe away my tears as Bakura leaves and goes down the hall. I hear him shout at his brother and then hurrying footsteps. Ryou comes running into the room and jumps onto the couch next to me.

"Anzu! You're okay!" he says happily.

"Of course… What did you think?"

"I thought you were still mad at me about the cooties…"

"Oh…"

"Don't worry! I took a really long bath when I got home! Really! I washed off all the cooties and scrubbed hard!" he says, showing me his red arms and legs.

"I'm not mad," I reply, hugging him. He doesn't think I'm a loser!

"Don't hug me, you'll get the cooties again!" he cries.

"I don't care," I say, smiling.

* * *

Sorry for the short chapter, but the next one will be longer. Please review and let me know you're still there : )


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own YuGiOh.

sorry this took so long...

* * *

**Smile**

By: Chi Yagami

* * *

It's today! My birthday is TODAY!!!! I am _officially_ ten years old! Almost a preteen! Soon Mommy will drop me off at the mall so I can shop by myself (instead of her dragging me around with Mokie)!

It is a Saturday, so my party can start at noon this year instead of usually waiting until school ends. This morning Mommy made me toast and omelets and pancakes and waffles with apricots! Mokuba gave me a card that he made himself; he drew a picture of me and him on it, but he made me look like a boy. I didn't say anything because Mr. Kaiba was there. Mommy said I would get presents later, and that I wasn't allowed to go downstairs for the rest of the day because she and Mokuba would be decorating the backyard for the party.

Great. The party that all my classmates are coming to. Yami said he wanted to see me cry. I'm scared….

Before he went to pick up my cake, I asked Mr. Kaiba if he uninvited everyone. He looked at me with a frown. And then he kissed the top of my head. And then he left.

I felt very happy that he kissed me. But then I saw that several maids, and Mommy, were nearby. I think Mr. Kaiba should become an actor.

My party starts in an hour. I've been up in my room all day. Not even Ryou was allowed to visit. I drew some pictures though; it was sort of fun. I drew me and Mommy and Mokuba. Then I drew Mr. Kaiba with a frowny face. I also drew Ryou and Bakura in a tiny house, next to me and Mokuba in a giant-o house.

Right now I have to get dressed. I can dress myself, but Mommy sent a housemaid in to help me. She says I need to look "exkuisitt."

"Young Miss, I wish you wouldn't fidget so much," Rita says. She's helping me put on my special white stockings, the ones I wear when we go to Christmas Mass. I never had to go Mass before, but now that Mommy is married to Mr. Kaiba, we have to go to Mass. I hate it; Mass is long and boring and they talk about too many dead people. Mommy says Mass is supposed to "lift your spirit and make you happy" but I disagree; how does talking about dead people make you happy?

"I am sorry, Rita, but I am too scared to _not_ fidget!"

"Why is Young Miss afraid of her own party?" Rita asks, buckling my shiny white shoes. "All of your little friends are bringing you presents!"

That is true. All the kids will have to bring presents. I just hope they don't give me boxes of toads or stuff like that.

Rita helps me put on my new party dress, the one Mr. Kaiba bought me. I wanted to wear a pretty kimono, but Mr. Kaiba bought me this. The dress is blue and flowy, with tiny white flowers that sparkle. I also have to wear a sparkly white headband, which Rita is sticking into my hair. She curled it first though. Now I look like a poodle. A blue and white and brown poodle.

"It's time to go downstairs, Young Miss!" Rita exclaims. "Oh you look so pretty! White and blue really bring out your eyes. In fact, you could pass as the master's daughter!"

All the servants refer to Mr. Kaiba as 'the master.'

I look nothing like him. And I don't want to.

Rita takes me downstairs. She blindfolds me before taking me out into the backyard. Mommy wants it to be a surprise. We step outside, and I can hear the whispers of my party guests. Then my blindfold is lifted.

"SURPRISE!"

Even though the people who hate me are here, I am excited! It's so beautiful! Mommy made it a ballet princess party! My cake is three layers with white frosting and little pink roses; on the very top there is a princess wearing ballet shoes. Pink streamers and balloons are everywhere on chairs and trees, all over the big patio covered by a blue tent. I have a huge stack of presents, and I'm very happy. Hopefully since adults are nearby, Miho and Yami and Marik can't be mean to me!

"Happy Birthday, sweetie," Mommy says, giving me a big hug. "You look so pretty."

"Happy Birthday," Mr. Kaiba says, and he pats me on the head. Was he trying to ruin my hairdo? I don't think he did though, because Rita said she used Maxi Spray 10.

Mommy goes to set up the games, leaving me with my guests.

"What are you supposed to be?" Miho asks, making an ugly face.

"Yeah?!" Marik and Yami agree.

"I think she looks like a doll," Malik says, twisting his tie.

"An ugly doll!" Yami laughs. He and Marik make several more rude comments. Yami's little brother, Yugi is playing with Mokuba and Serenity Wheeler. Why is she here? Oh, right, everyone is my class was invited. Serenity has an older brother, Joey, who is my class. He must be here… There he is, over by the cake with his best friend Tristan Taylor. They hate me too, but not as much as Miho, Yami, and Marik (they call themselves The Three Musketeers). Joey steals my snack sometimes, but he steals everyone's snacks, not just mine. Sometimes he even takes the Musketeers' snacks.

Duke is also here; he is over by the piñata talking to Blair. They kissed once at recess, and now they think they are married. They even had a fake wedding where Miho was a bridesmaid. I got the part of the trash cleaner after the wedding.

Rex and Weevil are here also. They are cousins and they are both slow and stupid. They argue every day about whether bugs or dinosaurs are stronger. Rex says dinosaurs would crush bugs, but Weevil says bugs could poison the dinosaurs. He also says bugs are the strongest because they survived when dinosaurs did not. I am glad the bugs are stronger and that the dinosaurs died out. I would rather have a bee hive on the playground than a dinosaur hive.

Vivian, Leon, Espa, and Syrus are also here. But I don't see Jaden, Asuka, Al, Chihiro, or Alistair who are all in my class and were also invited. They probably hate me too and decided not to come. Except for Al because he has been sick all week with the flu. So he doesn't even have the choice to come or not. Ryou is here too, of course, and so is Bakura and their daddy.

"Okay kids, let start the party!" Mommy announces.

First we play Pin-The-Tail-On-The-Donkey. I'm really worried that Yami, Marik, Miho, and Vivian will all try to beat me at every game. As the birthday girl, I get to go first at every game; I hope I do better than they do… Oh no, I pinned the tail onto the donkey's eye! Trying not to look upset, I watch Ryou blindly pin his tail… onto a bush. Haha! That makes me laugh and feel better. Finally, Syrus wins by pinning the tail on the donkey's butt. The funniest part was when Marik tried to pin his tail to Vivian's mother! Next we play Tug-A-Rope, and my team wins! Miho was on my team, but the other meanies were on the opposite team.

Now it's time for cake and presents! We all gather around the big patio table where the cake is… and then a woman screams.

"Joseph Wheeler, get your hands off that cake!" Mrs. Wheeler shrieks, pulling Joey off my birthday cake. He has frosting all over his hands and face. He ruined my birthday cake… I start to sniffle, but Mommy says we'll skip cake and go straight to presents, while a maid runs to the store to buy another cake.

Well, not the best presents, but at least I didn't get any toads. Yami and Yugi gave me a pack of Duel Monster cards; I'm sure their grandpa, who owns the card store, forced them to get me something. Vivian gave me a plastic bracelet, and Syrus got me a pack of Duel Monster cards too. I don't really play that game, so I'll give them to Mokuba later. Duke Devlin's present was Dungeon Dice Monsters board game, and from Leon von Shrader (his last name is funny) I got three packs of cards. Marik and Malik gave a present together, a stuffed rabbit. Espa Roba's present was a warm hat, is a dinosaur plate set from Rex (of course), and (I knew it) Weevil got me an ant farm (which will also go to Mokuba, you'd think it was his birthday…). Joey got me a really big bucket of candy, which he is currently staring at. Tristan Taylor gave me the new Harry Potter DVD even though we already have it, and Blair gave me a nice baby doll. Miho's present was horrible, though. Mommy thought it was adorable; Miho gave me a friendship necklace. But Mommy doesn't know that it's the same one I gave Miho back when we were still friends.

Bakura and his daddy gave me a nice plastic tea set; I guess they don't know about my porcelain one… But Ryou's gift was the best! He gave me a really big teddy bear! I have not put it down because I don't want it to get dirty. Mommy says I'll get other gifts later tonight, from her and Mr. Kaiba. Most of the grownups are inside getting drinks and talking about grownup stuff; Mommy is inside too, waiting for the cake. Mr. Kaiba is still outside, watching Mokuba play with Yugi and Serenity.

"Let's play tag!" Duke suggests, and everyone agrees.

Except me. I don't feel like running around in these clothes. I bet Yami would push me down in the mud. I just sit on one of the patio chairs next to Bakura, who is on his cell phone. Well, he's not _talking… _ he's "texting". He says it's like sending mail without writing on paper. I don't get it. I clutch my new bear tightly and watch the other kids run around. Even Ryou is playing.

Mr. Kaiba comes over to us. I thought he was going to go inside, but he stops by me. "Go play with the others," he says.

"I don't want to…"

He gives me a cold look. "You can't always get what you want. Now _go play_," he says forcefully. Then he goes inside.

Sadly, I leave Bakura still texting, and join my classmates out on the yard; they're playing very close to the giant maze. The bushes are taller than me, taller than Mr. Kaiba even (he is _really _tall).

"Look, wittle Anzu has come to play, and she brought her tweddy bwear," Yami snickers. "Me and Marik are IT, so you better run."

At first it was a fun game, because they chased other people too. But now they're starting to chase just me. The other kids are forming a circle around us, so I have nowhere to go. I bet they're going to beat me up! Why are all the grownups inside? Can't they see what's going on? I quickly run into the maze, the only unblocked exit. Maybe I will come out on the other side.

I get lost very fast. I don't remember which way is out! But I can still here Marik laughing, so I should keep running. I come to an open space inside the maze, maybe the middle or a corner, one of the spots where Mr. Kaiba is building a fountain. Marik comes running into the area and stops nearby.

"Little Anzu isn't fast," he teases. "I caught you!"

"Leave me alone!" I say, and start to leave. But Marik runs and tries to tackle me. He grabs part of my dress and it rips. "Look what you did to my dress!" I cry, tears coming out.

"Poor baby! Crying like a baby! You're such a loser, Anzu!" he says, pushing me.

He pushes me really hard, and I stumble backwards. I try to balance myself, but my right foot has nothing to step on…! Suddenly I feel a horrible pain in my side! I can't breathe! My face is covered in dirt, and so is my dress. I think I fell… I look up to see that Marik is looking down at me from up high. "Haha! You fell into a giant hole! Maybe you'll die there!" he laughs, running away. His laughter fades as he gets too far away.

I burst into more tears. "Help!" I scream. "Somebody help me!" I call out over and over for someone to find me. I can't climb out of this deep hole! There are some stones and pipes down here, probably for the fountain, but nothing tall enough to stand on and climb out. So I just sit and cry.

This isn't fair! It's my birthday! I'm supposed to have fun and be surrounded by people who love me! I guess losers don't get fun parties, and nobody loves them. But Bakura said Ryou likes me… And Mommy and Mokuba still like me. But no one else likes me; Mr. Kaiba doesn't want me for a stepdaughter. Miho didn't want to be my friend… There's not much time left before the others see my loserness. My throat hurts from screaming so much. I curl up in a corner with my bear.

* * *

I think I fell asleep at some point… I'm not sure how long I've been in this hole, but it's starting to rain, turning the dirt to mud, and my teddy bear is ruined. My clothes are ripped and muddy; I do not feel like a birthday ballet princess anymore. I'm cold, tired, and hungry. I bet everyone else is eating cake. Why hasn't Mommy come to look for me? Didn't Ryou see me run into the maze and tell someone?

Maybe he decided I'm a loser. Maybe he didn't tell anyone, and no one else would tell a grownup, they all hate me. What if… What if no one cares about me anymore and isn't even looking for me? No, they must… someone has to find me! I don't want to die here! I start to cry again.

"Help me," I cry. "Why isn't anyone looking for me…?"

It is very dark now. Sometimes I cry out, but mostly I've given up. They probably think it's too dark. If they're even looking for me.

"Anzu?" a voice calls.

Someone found me! "Over here!" my voice cracks. "I'm over here!" A light shines in my eyes. Then someone jumps down into the hole. The light moves out of my eyes, and I look up, hoping it's Mommy who is here to save me.

It's not. It's Bakura…! "Bakura?" I ask. "What are you doing here?"

Bakura doesn't answer. Instead he pulls me into a warm hug. "I'm sorry," he says.

"For what?"

"I'm sorry your classmates are evil, and that your stepfather is rude to you," he says, squeezing me. "They told him they saw you run out of the maze, and everyone believed the kids. But Ryou told me the kids were bullying you. I tried to tell Kaiba, but he dismissed it, calling the police to look around the neighborhood. He isn't even out searching for you!"

And then Bakura called Mr. Kaiba a very _very_ bad word. "I should talk to your mother about this."

"No!" I shout, startling him. "Mommy is very happy. Mr. Kaiba likes her, I can tell, and she really likes him. I want Mommy to be happy… don't tell her, please!"

He gives me a weird look, staring at me for a long time. "Okay, I won't tell…"

I let out a big breath and rest my head on his shoulder. This big-kid better keep his promise. He easily climbs out of the hole and back into the maze. It takes a while, but Bakura finally comes to the exit, and we're back in the yard. I'm too tired to do anything, so I just let him carry me up to the house, where Mommy is waiting for me.


End file.
